This was a Christmas gift written for a friend on Tumblr, but I'm posting here as well! Enjoy!
"Breadballs, it's freezing out here..." He muttered, patting at the outside of his coat pockets in search of the metallic jingling of his keys.
She snorted, freckled face reddened from the harsh temperature and harsh winter winds. "No kidding,"
Betty's tone was teasing, twinged with a bit of guilty impatience. She tucked her gloved hands underneath her arms, bouncing a bit in place to try and keep warm while Simon fumbled the door open.
The two had just returned from the annual, obligatory trip to church for Christmas mass. She'd never been much of a religious person herself, to be perfectly honest, and could never really help but feel a mite guilty about it. The old chapel was always beautiful though, and she could appreciate several things about going. At any rate, both were exhausted from the long service, which had been preceded (and then followed) by the icy, crowded, treacherous city roads. Not that that had been unexpected; driving was always a nightmare this time of year.
Simon opened the door, being greeted by a burst of welcomingly warm air in the face as they both quickly rushed in and shut it again behind them. Funny... As nice as it was in here compared to the outdoors, he could've sworn that he'd turned up the thermostat at least a little before they'd left... Tugging off his gloves, he reached over for the foyer lightswitch and flicked it on. Nothing. He paused for a moment, looking around the corner further into the complex and starting to feel a sinking sensation. They hadn't really bothered to do much about decorating, but the few lights that they did have on the tree weren't on either. Which could only mean one thing.
Well, crud.
"Oohh no," Betty mumbled with a cringe, trying the lightswitch herself a few times, clearly having come to the same conclusion. "Power's out."
Simon looked back outside at the steadily-falling snow with a low groan, knowing that they could likely attribute their current lack of electricity to the nasty weather. Just wonderful.
Betty blew a puff of air to move a strand of hair from her face, still half-wincing at the unpleasant situation while she tugged off her nice boots which had been splattered with parking lot slush. "Well... I guess I'm gonna go get changed," she sighed, hanging up her coat before heading for their bedroom.
Simon nodded, running a hand through his slightly-damp hair before going off in search of candles or something of the like. They'd have to make the best of things, seeing as how it didn't seem as though the storm was going to let up anytime soon.
"Fa la la la la," Simon greeted sarcastically, collapsing down on the couch next to his fiancee after having gotten changed himself. The temperature inside was slowly dropping (perhaps mimicking their current spirits), and there wasn't much they could do about it. He'd grabbed a few extra blankets from the hallway closet and set them down as well, although neither had moved to grab one just yet. Betty had layered up on sweaters, and was currently sitting with her knees curled up to her chest underneath the outermost one. It was childish, but cute and evidently effective, all of which was enough to make him smile.
"It looks really pretty outside," She commented softly, staring past him and out their window. He turned his head to see perfectly well just what she meant. The snowfall was lovely enough to disguise the inconvenience that it really was, coating the grass and sparse trees with a thick layer of powdered-sugar-like white, all of which contrasted heavily against the dark, moody blue sky. Frost was starting to creep up the corners and around the edges of the window pane, framing the entire scene in flowery lace. Neither said a word, content to just sit in silence for a minute or two.
Simon was jerked out of his stupor by slight movement in his peripheral vision, and her turned to find Betty shivering. Heck, he himself had tightened his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering. "You still cold?" he asked in concern, although it was a rather stupid question. She raised an eyebrow in a way that seemed to say 'ya think?', but she nodded by way of answer. Not hesitating for even a second, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a cuddle, smiling a little again when she squeaked in surprise.
"Smooth," she said, looking back at him with a little sideways smile as they leaned back to recline against the armrest of the couch. "Real smooth."
"I try to be," he responded through a light laugh, grabbing for a blanket and sloppily spreading it over the both of them to the best of his ability. Betty was more than happy to snuggle back up against him, making herself comfortable and enjoying the warmth.
"Mhmm..." Interjecting with a quick kiss, she finished through a tiny yawn, "Well... For what it's worth, merry Christmas, Simon."
He echoed her, more than ready to pass out himself. "Merry Christmas, love."
The couple was awoken hours later by a sharp, glaring light flickering on from above, shining directly in their faces as irritatingly as seemed possible. After that came the low, rumbling growl of the furnace sounding through the walls, urging them awake with its familiar grumbling.
Simon was first to stir to life again, grimacing and squinting in the bright light from above. He noticed that he'd foolishly fallen asleep while still wearing his glasses, able to feel rather than see the imprints they'd left in his face. Hands a little numb as he tugged them off and set them on the coffee table, he mumbled sleepily to Betty, "Power's back..." She didn't respond, only turning her head so that her face was against his chest and shielded from the light. Figuring that their bed would be a little more accommodating, but also a little too settled at the moment, he decided to let her decide. "D'you want to get up and move?"
"...Nah," she said into his shirt, her tired voice a bit muffled. He couldn't possibly have agreed more. Straining a bit, he reached up and behind them to turn off the light, then burrowed back underneath the blankets. Settled back in one anothers arms, it didn't take long for them to fall asleep once again.